Sample Answers for IELTS Speaking Part 2 Admire/Inspire Questions

I am going to talk about my cousin. My cousin is the daughter of my dad’s brother. In fact, we look quite alike but that is where the similarities end. I like spending time with her as she is really funny and a little eccentric. She could be quite wild when she was younger. We see each other about twice a year at family gatherings. My cousin is really creative at telling stories. When I was a child, she would make up tales to tell me and I remember how exciting and magical they were. As an adult, she has gone on to become a short story writer. About 10 years ago, she had her first story published. Since then, she has invented and written numerous short stories and even published a collection of her own. She is well-known in the field and I admire her greatly. I can’t imagine being able to write stories so creatively and keep coming up with new ideas. I have read some of the stories and my favourite one was a murder mystery based on a book group. The characters were really funny and quite sarcastic. I guess my cousin has reflected her personality in her writing. The stories have a surprising twist at the end which is either shocking or hilarious. I wish I had the talent that she has. I hope she goes on to write more stories and inspire other people.

1. Who this person is?
   The person I am going to talk about is Steve Jobs, sadly he died a few years ago. He was an American from California in the USA and he was the co-founder of Apple. He was adopted by family when he was a baby and grew up in San Francisco.
2. What he/she does?
   Steve Jobs was an entrepreneur and a businessman. With his friend, he developed the first Macintosh computer. He was passionate about new technologies and he became the CEO of Apple in the 1990’s. Steve headed the company for many years and made a lot of inspirational speeches.
3. Why he/she inspires you?
   Steve Jobs is an inspiration to me because he had the motivation and drive to come up with incredible ideas and to put them into practice. Even when he was dying of cancer, he was working hard and presenting in front of thousands of people. He showed so much commitment to Apple and to new technologies and in the end, I believe he inspired a generation of people to work in these industries.
4. and explain how this person might be useful to you in the future.
   Well, although he has passed away I think he has left a legacy to me and others. When I start my own career, I will endeavour to show the same degree of commitment and energy to my own profession. Especially the fact that he came from an adopted family, he could have had a very different life but has shown that it is not your background but your ambition that matters.

1. Who the person was?
   The person I admired when I was at school was my English teacher, Mr Harrison. He was a little bit eccentric and really passionate about English. He was my teacher for two years before he left and went travelling round the world. He had long brown hair and really scruffy clothes.
2. How you met him/her?
   When you are about 13 years old you are divided into different classes for your subjects. I met Mr Harrison on the first day of our English class when he was wearing really outrageous clothes, red trousers and a ´whatever´t-shirt I think which intrigued the students. He didn’t look like your average teacher.
3. Why you admired him/her?
   I admired him for so many reasons. Firstly, because he was different from other teachers and seemed to follow his own rules. His teaching style was very relaxed and quite comical so he got on with all his students. He also told us he was a published writer so we had the utmost respect for his teaching and it inspired me to read more books and write more creatively. I still write to this day, so he really did have a profound effect on me.
4. and explain how you feel about him/her now.
   I am grateful to him for helping me discover poetry and literature. If I saw him now I would probably give him a big hug and tell him how he had inspired me. I recall being really gutted when he left the school and I often wonder where he ended up on his travels

I am going to talk about an important business person who has inspired me.

The person is Deborah Meaden, a UK entrepreneur. She runs a number of successful companies such as holiday and experience companies and vegan food brands. Deborah also stars in a TV series called ´Dragon´s Den´where she and other entrepreneurs invest in small businesses that come and pitch their ideas.

In one episode, Deborah wanted to invest in a vegan food company who made an excellent pitch to promote their vegan biscuits and snacks. Although they didn’t have a good sales background or money in the bank, Deborah was able to see the potential and the passion of the person. She invested and helped get their company off the ground.

I am inspired by her because she does not come from a wealthy background and has built her companies from the bottom up. She supports a lot of charities, encourages female entrepreneurs and always considers the ethics of a brand before investing. I think she is an excellent role model who does not put money before human rights.

In the future, I will try to use Deborah´s example when I make decisions or buy something. For example, buying cheap clothes is convenient but may not be ethical to the producers. I would like to study more about this and she has definitely influenced that.

I am going to talk about the singer I admire most. That singer is the lead singer Freddie Mercury of the band Queen. Queen are one of the best bands in the world and have some incredible hits and albums. Sadly, Freddie died in the 1990s, but I believe his legacy lives on and he has influenced a number of other artists and groups. Freddie Mercury was born into an average family and as he grew up he became more ambitious and more flamboyant. His parents were Indian I think and quite disapproving of the way in which Freddie wanted to live his life.He got together with a group of friends and they started to do gigs across the UK. They faced some criticism as some of their music was quite alternative to the rock and pop of the time. But Freddie insisted they stay true to themselves. In the end they got a huge record deal and released lots of songs. The most famous, Bohemian Rhapsody was turned down by major record companies and it is now one the biggest songs in the world.

I recently watched the film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and found out more about Freddie´s struggles with addiction and his sexuality. The moment he stepped on stage at Live Aid, an enormous music concert, the atmosphere was electric. It really was an awe-inspiring performance that Queen will always be remembered for. I admire Freddie as he really stuck to his guns when it came to musical creativity and freedom. I also admire his ability to hold the attention of a crowd.

1. Who is this person?
   I am going to talk about my grandfather, granddad Charles. Granddad Charles is now eighty-seven years old and he has been a role-model for me for as long as I can remember.
2. Where do you normally spend time with him/her, and how long?
   Despite his age, granddad Charles is still smart as a whip. He has always kept in the loop with the most recent technological advances, so he has figured out how to use video chats, so that we could talk as frequently as possible, now that I am in the United States. We try to converse at least three times a week, and we talk about all kinds of subjects, like movies, music and current events. Granddad Charles is a die-hard-fan of Rock music, so we often listen to his records, and I introduce him to new Rock bands I enjoy listening to. He is always eager to discover new artists, which is truly a testament to his open-minded character.
3. Why do you like him/her?
   I feel very strongly connected to my grandfather because he is the embodiment of the saying that ‘age is just a number’. Despite his old age, he is still so energetic and has a thirst for knowledge, which I don’t think even half the people my age possess. My grandfather has been through a lot of challenges, yet he has always tried his best to make the most of any given situation.
4. What is a particularly fond memory you have with him/her?
   I remember going to the park with him once, when I was maybe fifteen years old. My football team at school had lost the game and I was feeling down in the dumps. He sat down under the tree with me, and started singing the song ‘Don’t worry, be happy’, by Bobby McFerrin. I eventually sang along and we ended up dancing. It made a world of a difference!

1. Who is this person?
   I am going to talk about the actress Rita Moreno. She is a Puerto Rican actress who is best known for her role as Anita in the film adaptation of the musical West Side Story. Despite being over eighty years old, she still acts and seems to be fit as a fiddle.
2. How do you know him/her?
   I watched the classic West Side Story when I was a teenager, and although she was not the lead character, to me, she stole the show. She is this incredibly charismatic actress, and she is an exceptional performer. More recently I watched the show One Day At A Time, which focuses a Cuban family living in the United States. It’s a great sitcom that mixes comedy with more serious topics, including questions of racism and culture shock that Latin-Americans often encounter. I admired her performance on the show, as well as her open-mindedness and courage to speak up about topics that are sometimes difficult to discuss or accept.
3. Why did he/she become famous?
   She has had a very long career. She actually started acting when she was a child, and when she was thirteen years old, after performing on Broadway, Hollywood agents wanted to hire her to play characters from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, even though they were not remotely close to where she was from. She earned an Academy Award for playing Anita in West Side Story, but decided to leave Hollywood due to typecasting and mistreatment.
4. What have you learnt from him/her?
   I have learnt a lot from her, especially when it comes to standing up for what’s right. I am in awe of her for always being true to herself and proud of her heritage, and knowing where to draw the line when she felt disrespected. She seems to be a bright, strong lady, and I truly admire her strength of character.

I am going to talk about one of my teachers. At secondary school, I had a teacher called Mr Mason, he was my PE teacher for a few years. I enjoyed being in his class because he had a good sense of humour and would also get stuck in by participating in the sports we were doing. Mr Mason noticed that I was a fast runner and pulled me aside to have a chat about training. He encouraged me to join a running team after school and after a few months, my technique was much better and I was fast enough to compete. He suggested I compete at a regional level so I did. His belief that I could win at this level helped me to train every day and to run faster during the competitions. He would often be there at the side of the track cheering on the students from our school. He was always the first to congratulate me and also there to cheer me up when I had a disappointing loss. I went on to run in national competitions and to do competitive swimming also.

I never really thanked Mr Mason formally but on the last day of school I shook his hand and asked him to sign my t-shirt. I haven’t seen him since but if I saw him today I would tell him that he was a big influence on my sports career. I still run and swim competitively now and I am sure he has gone on to help lots of other students to better themselves.

1. Who is this person?
   I am going to talk about my grandmother, who is a person I admire and respect very much. She is now eighty-nine years of age.
2. How do you know him/her?
   She is my maternal grandmother, and I have known her ever since I was a child. I have very fond early memories with her. She has been in my life for as long as I can remember.
3. How would you describe this person?
   She is an incredible lady. Despite her age she is sharp as a tack. She reads every day, and she goes on walks at least twice a week. She has such an appreciation for life and she makes sure to enjoy every minute of what it has to offer. My grandma has a golden heart. She always jumps at the opportunity to help other people. She has a very rich and active social life.
4. Why do you feel such respect for him/her?
   I have a lot of respect for my grandma because of the way she has led and continues to lead her life. She has been through many trials and tribulations, but she never complained about any of it. She held her head up high and moved on, continuously attempting to make the best out of every bad situation. When she was a child, she left her home country with her family to come here, for a better shot at life prospects. She says she remembers saying goodbye to the country she loved so much, and how it took everything she had to refocus her attention on that new chapter of her and her family’s life. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for her. She is one of the bravest people I have ever met.

1. Who is he/she?
   I am going to talk about the most extroverted person I know her name is Julia. She is an excellent friend of mine who has helped me a lot with my personal development.
2. How did you come to know this person?
   I met Julia at a business conference in Denver, Colorado about two years ago. I remember waiting outside the conference room. I was a little nervous about it, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was too angsty to talk to anyone, as at the time I was suffering from social anxiety. I was standing in the corner, when Julia made eye-contact with me. I gave her half a smile and a small wave, and that’s when she decided to come over to me and talk to me. I would normally be terrified at someone approaching me like that, but there was something about Julia. I got a very positive vibe from her. We talked for some time, after which we were joint at the hip.
3. What makes you think that this person is very open?
   Julia’s confidence to talk to me about everything and anything was overwhelming and enticing all at once. She was happy to openly talk about herself and her life, and that made me comfortable to talk about myself. Her openness is truly contagious in the best way possible!
4. and How do you feel about him/her?
   I sincerely feel that she changed my life for the better. She taught me that it is okay to talk about myself, and that what I have to share does matter to others, or at least to those who care about me. She really helped me blossom in to whole new person. I feel incredibly lucky to know her!

1. who is this teacher?
   I am going to talk about my favourite math teacher, Mrs Martin. She is, hands down, the best teacher I have ever had. I was never very good at math, but her guidance and teaching approach made a huge difference for me.
2. What is the clearest memory you have of him/her?
   I remember a time when I was struggling to answer some summation questions. We were learning how to add up two-digit number with one-digit numbers. I looked around and saw everyone else complete the exercise with ease. I started to panic, but I didn’t want to make a scene, so I started to rick my chair with anxiety. Mrs Martin noticed me and approached my seat. Without commenting on behaviour or situation, she asked me what numbers I saw in the first questions. She took two colour pencils of opposite colours. She drew dots using a different colour for each number in the summation. She then asked me to count the dots by touching them with my finger. When I got the answer right, she congratulated me, and repeated that method with the numbers in the following question. That got the ball rolling for me, and pretty soon, I was able to apply that approach by myself.
3. Why did he/she leave a strong impression on you?
   That was one of many examples where she was so intuitive and kind. She knew me well enough to find an appropriate method for me to help me learn. It takes a special person to be able to know what to do in such situations with calm and efficiency.
4. and How has he/she impacted the person you are today?
   As a busy adult, it is easy for me to lose patience more easily. Often times, when I feel this sort of reaction coming, I think of Mrs Martin and I try to muster the strength to control such emotions. I am very grateful for her.

1. who was he/she?
   I am going to talk about a person I found inspiring in my childhood. Her name was Valeria, and she was an archaeologist. She graduated from university with a degree in History and Archaeology, and after university, she took a job as an archaeologist and went on fascinating excavation trips around the country.
2. How did you come to know this person?
   Valeria was a good family friend who went to the same university as my mum. My earliest memory of hers is from when I was about seven years old, and I recall her showing me photographs of her trips. I could not believe my eyes when I saw all those incredible discoveries. Every place she went, she would also bring me a small artisanal souvenir, like toys and small figurines.
3. What did you find inspiring about them?
   I remember finding her unbelievably inspiring, because she was brave to opt for this career. People around her kept telling her such life pursuits were a fool’s errand, but she followed her dreams fearlessly. She is the reason why I am interested in history. She had the ability to make he discoveries relatable to someone my age, and I remember those stories being highly eye-opening.
4. and How do you feel about this person now?
   I am still very much in awe of her. When I encounter a stumbling rock and I feel like I’m at my wits’ end, I think of how courageous she has been throughout her lives. If she had backed down every time that she was facing a challenge, she would not have led the life she had. She marched by the beat of her own drum, ignoring all the naysayers, and I think it is a valuable lesson to have learnt.